Southwest Chile Sauce

(Makes About 1-Cup)

Ingredients:

2 Tomatoes; Plum or Roma
2 Dried 3-Inch Hot Chiles; Stemmed and Seeded
1 tsp. Canola or Olive Oil
1 Small Onion; Chopped
1 cup Mushrooms; Stemmed and Coarsely Chopped
2 Cloves Garlic; Crushed and Peeled
1/4 tsp. Dried Oregano
14 1/2-oz. Reduced-Sodium Chicken or Vegetable Broth
1 1/2 tsp. Fresh lemon Juice
Pinch of Granulated Sugar
Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper To Taste

Roast tomatoes over medium heat, turning until cooked in a heavy dry skillet for about 5-minutes. Transfer tomatoes to a cutting surface and cover with a kitchen towel to steam. When cooled, peal and chop coarsely. Meanwhile, in the same skillet, toast chiles over medium heat until fragrant, about 20 to 30-seconds. Set chiles aside and cut into several pieces.

Heat oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until tender (approximately 2 to 3-minutes). Add garlic and oregano and cook for 1-minute more. Add broth, tomatoes and chiles and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and cover, simmer for 30-minutes.

Transfer sauce to blend or food processor and puree. Pass sauce through a fine-meshed sieve and return to the saucepan. Heat thoroughly, stirring occasionally. Season with lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper. Prepared sauce will refrigerate for 2-days or freeze for up to 6-months.